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PROCEEDINGS OF MEETINGS 



OF THE 



GENERAL BOARD OF MANAGERS AND EXECUTIVE 

COMMITTEE 



OF 



THE NATIONAL SOCIETY 



SONS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION 



MAY 1 AND 3, 1905 



MEMBERS OF NATIONAL COMMITTEES 



WASHINGTON, D. C. 

PRESS OF JUDD & DETWEILER (INC.) 

1905 



> 5 



NATIONAL SOCIETY 

OP THE 

SONS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION 

Office of the Secretary General. 

President General, 
Gen. Francis Henry Appleton, Washington, D. C, May 31, 1903. 

Boston, Mass. 



PROCEEDINGS OF MEETINGS OF THE GENERAL BOARD 
OF MANAGERS AND THE EXECUTIVE COM- 
MITTEE, MAY 1 AND 3, 1905. 



I. Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pa., May I, 1905. 

A meeting of the Board of Managers and of the Executive 
Committee of the National Society of the Sons of the American 
Revolution, duly called under the provisions of Article V, Sec- 
tion 2, of the Constitution, was held at Independence Hall, 
Philadelphia, at 2.30 p. m.. May i, 1905, immediately after a 
pro forma session of the Annual Congress, which had been 
adjourned to meet in formal session at 10 a. m. the next day. 

The President General, Hon. James Denton Hancock, pre- 
sided. 

Between thirty and forty members of the General Board and 
of the Executive Committee were present. 

The minutes of the last meeting of the Board, on December 
6, 1904, having been printed and copies of same distributed to 
the members of the Board, upon motion of President Lewis, of 
the Kentucky Society, the reading of the minutes was dispensed 
with and the same approved. 

It was announced by the Secretary General that, on motion 
of Mr. Warren, seconded by General Greeley, the Board, at the 



meeting of December 6, approved the following amendment to 
the By-Iyaws, providing for a new Article XVII : 

Amend the By-Laws by inserting a new Article XVII, the present 
Article XVII to be hereafter entitled Article XVIII ; the new Article 
XVII to read as follows : 

Article XVII. — Order of Business of the Annual Congress. 

1. Calling the Congress to order by the President General, with 
appropriate remarks. 

2. Opening prayer by the Chaplain General. 

3. Appointment and report of a Committee on Credentials. 

4. Reading of minutes of the last Congress. 

5. Report of General Board of Managers. 

6. Report of general officers. 

7. Report of standing committees. 

8. Report of special committees. 

9. Reports of State Societies. 

10. Old and unfinished business. 

11. New business, including election of officers. 

12. Adjournment. 

13. Provided, That for a special purpose the Congress may, by a vote 
of two-thirds of those present and voting, suspend the above order of 
business. 

After some discussion, it was moved by Doctor Iglehart, Presi- 
dent of the Maryland Society, and .seconded by Vice-President 
General Earnest, that the proposed Article XVII as read be 
amended in the first portion thereof to read as follows : 

1. Calling the Congress to order by the President General. 

2. Opening prayer by the Chaplain General. 

3. Appointment of a Committee on Credentials. 

4. Remarks by the President General on condition and needs of the 
Society. 

5. Report of Committee on Credentials. 

Thereupon, this amendment being agreed to. Article XVII 
was adopted as amended, to read as follows, former Article 
XVII being changed to Article XVIII : 

Article XVII.— Order of Business of the Annual Congress. 

1. Calling the Congress to order by the President General. 

2. Opening prayer by the Chaplain General. 

3. Appointment of a Committee on Credentials. 

"Til* aocUrtf 
MA'/ II 1814 



4- Remarks by the President General on condition and needs of the 
Society. 

5. Report of Committee on Credentials. 

6. Reading of minntes of the last Congress. 

7. Report of General Board of Managers. 

8. Report of general officers. 

9. Report of standing committees. 
10. Report of special committees, 
ir. Report of State vSocieties. 

12. Old and unfinished business. 

13. New business, including election of officers. 

14. Adjournment. 

15. Provided, That for a special purpose the Congress may, by a vote 
of two-thirds of those present and voting, suspend the above order of 
business. 

Upon the suggestion of the Secretary General, the Board 
approved an amendment to Article XII b}' adding to the article 
as amended at the meeting of the Board of Managers December 
6, 1904, defining the duties of the Executive Committee, the 
words ' ' and such other business as shall be delegated to it by 
the General Board of Managers," same to be acted upon finally 
at a future meeting of the Board. 

Upon call for a report from the Committee on Incorporation 
of the National Society, Mr. George W. Bates, the chairman, 
submitted a full statement of the work of the committee, which 
concluded as follows : 

The conclusion seems to be that, as at present advised, the so-called 
incorporation in Connecticut is not sufficient for the purposes of this 
.Society, and that there must be an incorporation either under the laws 
of some state which specially provides for the incorporation of societies 
of this character or a special charter by an act of Congress, for which 
there is no doubt ample authority in Congress. We do not think that 
definite action should be taken in either respect at this time, but that the 
whole subject should be referred to a new committee, composed of at 
least five members, which shall examine the matter carefully and report 
to a subsequent meeting of the General Board of Managers, with recom- 
mendations. 
All of which is respectfully submitted. 

(Signed) George W. Bates, Chairman ; 

Morris B. Beardsley, 
R. W. Guthrie, 

Co))niiittee. 



Moved by Mr. Mack, of Ohio, seconded by Judge Beardsley, 
of Counecticut, that the report be received and placed on file. 
Motion adopted. 

Moved by Judge Beardsle}- that the report be accepted and 
the recommendation.s therein contained be adopted. Seconded. 

After general discussion of the subject, the motion of Judge 
Beardsley was withdrawn, and, upon motion of Mr. Bates, 
seconded by Judge Beardsley, it was unanimously 

Voted to refer the whole matter to the new Board of Managers. 

On behalf of the committee appointed to consider the qiies- 
tion of securing a place for the preservation of the archives of 
the Society, Judge Hancock reported that upon conference 
with otlicials of the D. A. R. he had learned that that organi- 
zation would not be in position to furnish a depository for the 
records of the Sons of American Revolution in Continental 
Hall for at least a year, and as he had found the archives being 
very well preserved at present, Judge Hancock asked that the 
committee be discharged and the matter dropped for the time 
being. 

Upon motion, duly seconded and carried, the report was 
accepted and committee discharged. 

The Treasurer General announced that the cash balance 
available for the current expenses and general appropriations 
for the coming year amounted to $5,498. He stated that the 
annual dues from most of the vState Societies had been promptly 
paid. 

Upon motion, the reading of the minutes of the recent meet- 
ing of the Executive Committee at Buffalo, making arrange- 
ments for the Philadelphia Congress, was waived and the same 
adopted. 

Upon call for the report of the Executive Committee, Mr. 
Guthrie outlined the program as already announced in circulars 
sent out for this Congress, and stated that most of the work 
of preparing for the meeting had been done by the Philadelphia 
Chapter. 

The Secretary General brought to the attention of the Board 
a proposition from the proprietor of the Historical Bulletin, 
offering to publish, as he did last year, three pages of matter 
concerning the Proceedings of the present Congress without 



expense to the Society, and to print as many additional pages 
as may be desired at the rate of three dollars per page ; also to 
furnish copies of this number of the Bulletin to members of the 
Society at ten cents per copy, same to be mailed promptly after 
the close of the Congress. 

Moved by Mr. Bates that, in accordance with the terms of 
the proposition outlined by the Secretary General, a contract 
be entered into with Mr. CoUamer, publisher of the Historical 
Bulletin, for the publication of an abstract of the Proceedings 
of this Congress to the extent of ten pages at the rate of three 
dollars per page. 

Motion seconded by Mr. Warren, and adopted. 

And thereupon, upon motion of Mr. Guthrie, the meeting 
adjourned. 

A. Howard Clark, 

Secretary General. 



11. Meeting at Bellevue-Stratfotd Hotel, May 3, 1905. 

Pursuant to call of the President General, made by announce- 
ment during this day's session of the Congress in Independ- 
ence Hall, the General Board of Managers met in headquarters 
room at the Bellevue-Stratford hotel, Philadelphia, at 4.30 
o'clock p. m.. President General Francis Henry Appleton pre- 
siding. A full quorum being present, the Board at once pro- 
ceeded to the election of the Executive Committee, resulting 
as follows : 

Gen. Francis Henry Appleton, Chairman ex officio. 

Hon. James Denton Hancock, Franklin, Pa. 

Gen. Edwin vS. Greeley, New Haven, Conn. 

Mr. Truman G. Avery, Buffalo, N. Y. 

Moses G. Parker, M. D., Lowell, Mass. 

Hon. Waldo Pettengill, Rumford Falls, Me. 

Mr. William W. J. Warren, New York, N. Y. 

Mr. Henry V. A. Joslin, Providence, R. I. 

Upon motion of Col. John C. Eewis, Kentucky, duly sec- 
onded, it was unanimously voted to accept the invitation of 



the Massachusetts Society to hold the Congress of 1906 in 
Boston. 

The Secretary General called attention to the fact that 
henceforth all arrangements for the Annual Congress would 
come under the immediate supervision of the Executive Com- 
mittee, in accordance with the provisions of Article XII, as 
amended at the meeting December 6, 1904. 

The motion of Capt. C. C. Philbrick concerning a change 
in the material of rosettes, referred by the Congress to the Board 
for action, was, upon motion of Doctor Iglehart, laid on the 
table. 

The following resolution, referred by Congress to the Board, 
was read by the Secretary General : 

Resolved, by the Sons of the American Revolution in National Con- 
gress assembled, That the Congress of the United States be, and is hereby, 
requested to have a suitable monument erected over the unmarked grave 
of George Wythe, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, in St. 
John's church-yard, Richmond, Va. 

Upon motion, the resolution was referred to the Committee 
on Revolutionary^ Monuments, this committee to report later 
to the Board. 

The Chair announced the appointment of Judge J. Franklin 
Fort as chairman of the Committee on Revolutionary Monu- 
ments, to succeed the late John Whitehead. 

Pending action by a National Committee appointed this 
day by the Congress to " revise the standing committees, limit 
the number of members in each, define their duties, and con- 
sider which, if an)', are .superfluous and .should be abolished," 
the President General appointed Judge Hancock, Doctor 
Parker, and Mr. Marble as a temporary committee of the Board 
to consider this question. 

After consultation between Mr. Marble and Doctor Parker, 
members of the above committee present, Mr. Marble reported 
that the committee, " after consultation, has resolved to refer 
the matter to the President General." Thereupon it was 

Voted to accept the report of this committee and refer the matter to 
the President General for action. 



The Secretary General reported the following recommenda- 
tion adopted by the Congress and referred to the Board of 
Managers for further action : 

It is recommended that the State Societies procure corporate charters 
under the laws of their respective States, and subject to the supervision 
of the National Board of Managers. 

It was moved by President Pettengill, of the Maine Society, 
that a copy of this recommendation be sent by the Secretary 
General to each Society for consideration and report to the 
Board of Managers. 

Motion seconded and adopted. 

The Secretary General then laid before the Board a commu- 
nication from the Massachusetts Society stating that this Society 
has procured a Revolutionary flag of the pattern carried by 
the Continental troops, to be displayed at all meetings of the 
Society, together with the regulation United States Hag and 
the flag of the Society, and recommending that similar action 
be taken by the National Society and other State Societies. 

Upon motion of Doctor Parker, the matter was referred back 
to the Massachusetts Society for further information as to size 
and cost of flag and where same may be procured. 

After some discu.ssion as to the advisability of curtailing to 
some extent the published Proceedings of the Congress, the 
matter of editing the same was left entirely to the judgment 
of the Secretary General. 

Thereupon Mr. Nelson A. McCIary, Illinois, inquired 
whether it might not be proper at this time to discuss the 
question of procedure in the conduct of the business of the 
Congress. He thought if Article VII of the Constitution be 
susceptible of more than one interpretation it should be regu- 
lated by a by-law, and, in order to bring the question before 
the Board of Managers, Mr. McClary 

Moved that the Executive Committee be instructed to prepare and 
submit to the Board of Managers a by-law with reference to the voting of 
the several states in the Congress. 

Mr. Stockbridge, after noting the fact that it had been 
demonstrated in this day's session of the Congress that the 



provisions of the Constitution in the matter of voting were 
ambiguous and capable of dual construction, 

Moved that the Executive Committee be requested to take up the 
present provisions of the Constitution and By-Laws relative to the matter 
of election of officers and method of voting therefor, and as soon as pos- 
sible report for adoption amendments which shall eliminate any possible 
dual construction. 

Upon motion of Mr. McClary, it was voted to refer the whole 
matter to the Executive Committee for consideration and report 
of recommendations to this Board later. 

Thereupon, there being no further business presented, the 

meeting was adjourned. 

A. Howard Clark, 

Secretary General. 



III. National Committees. 

The President General has appointed members of National 
Committees as follows, to serve until the close of the next 
Annual Congress: 

Committee on Auditing : 

Col. John C. Lewis, Loui.sville, Ky., Chairman. 
Mr. Nathan Warren, Boston, Mass. 
Mr. Charles G. Stone, Hartford, Conn. 

Co]\IMlTTEE ON CORRESPONDENCE : 

Mr. Nelson A. McClary, 184 La Salle St., Chicago, 111., 

Chairman. ' 
Mr. William L. Jones, Pittsburg, Pa. 
Col. A. S. Hubbard, San Franci.sco, Cal. 

Committee on Credentials : 

Mr. Isaac W. Birdseye, Bridgeport, Conn., Chairjnan. 
Hon. W. W. Stephenson, Louisville, Ky. 
Mr. Nathan Goold, Portland, Me. 

Committee on Finance : 

Dr. Mo.ses G. Parker, Lowell, Mass., Chairman. 

Mr. Daniel M. Lord, Chicago, 111. 

Mr. William Allen Marble, New York, N. Y. 



Committee on Organization : 

Hon. Henry Stockbridge, Baltimore, Md., Chairman. 
Hon. Cornelius A. Pugsley, Peekskill, N. Y. 
Hon. Franklin Murphy, Newark, N. J. 

Committee on Unfinished Business : 
The Secretary General, Chairman. 
Dr. Jas. D. Iglehart, Baltimore, Md. 
Col. Isaac F. Mack, Sandusky, Ohio. 

Educational Committee : 

Hon. Morris B. Beardsley, Bridgeport, Conn., Chairman. 
Rev. Rufus W. Clark, Detroit, Mich. 
Hon. Charles W. L,ippitt, Providence, R. I. 
Prof. William K. Wickes, Syracuse, N. Y. 
Hon. George D. Todd, Louisville, Ky. 

Committee on Revolutionary Monuments : 

Hon. J. Franklin Fort, East Orange, N. J., CJiairman. 
Mr. Jonathan Trumbull, Norwich, Conn. 
Dr. Francis H. Brown, Boston, Mass. 

Flag Committee : 

Col. Ralph E. Prime, Yonkers, N. Y., Chairman. 
Gen. Thomas M. Vincent, Washington, D. C. 
Hon. Peter F. Pescud, New Orleans, L,a. 
Col. Ira H. Evans, Austin, Texas. 
Hon. A. M. Rutledge, Louisville, Ky. 

No appointments are made for the present for the Commit- 
tees on National Parks, Legislation, Press, Advancement, 
Recruiting, or Memorial to Revolutionary Fathers. 

A. Howard Clark, 

Secretary General. 
Approved. 

Francis Henry Appleton, 

President General. 



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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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